Embroidery guides
Embroidery machines by hoop size and use, from monograms to small business.
The best embroidery machine for beginners, picked by the size of design you'll stitchHoop size decides what you can make, and whether you also want to sew decides the type. Here are five machines that are easy to learn, matched to the projects beginners actually start with.
The best embroidery machine for hats and shirts, and why hats change everythingAlmost any embroidery machine can do a shirt. Structured caps need a cap frame and a machine built to drive it, which in practice means a multi-needle machine. Here's how to choose.
The best embroidery machine for a small business, matched to how many orders you'll stitchSelling embroidery changes the math: thread changes and hooping time become labor, and labor is money. Here's when a home machine is enough and when a multi-needle machine pays for itself.
Brother PE900 review: the 5x7 embroidery-only machine most people should buyThe PE900 replaces the PE800 with Wi-Fi, a bigger screen, more designs and two real time-savers: jump stitch trimming and color sort. If you already own a sewing machine, it's the 5x7 to get.
Brother SE2000 review: is the 5x7 sewing and embroidery combo worth it?The SE2000 is the PE900's embroidery system bolted to a 241-stitch sewing machine. It's the combo you're least likely to outgrow, as long as you don't already own a sewing machine you love.
Embroidery hoop sizes explained: 4x4 vs 5x7 vs 6x10, drawn to scaleThe hoop size on a spec sheet is the largest design the machine can stitch in one go. Here's what each size really holds, how multi-position hoops stretch the limit, and which hoops fit which Brother machines.
Embroidery machine vs sewing machine: one machine, two, or a combo?A sewing machine stitches where you guide the fabric. An embroidery machine stitches a design file while a motorized arm moves the hoop. Combo machines do both, just not at the same time.
Embroidery stabilizer guide: cut-away vs tear-away vs wash-awayStabilizer is the hidden layer that decides whether a design stitches flat or puckers. Two questions pick the right one for almost any fabric: does it stretch, and will the back show?